09/04/2013

5 Tips For Women in The Corporate World; Lessons from Facebook’s most powerful woman employee.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's No. 2 executive and outspoken voice on the
obstacles women face in the corporate world, offers a blueprint for change in
"Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead."

1. Sit at the table.
Plagued by self-doubt and "feeling like a fraud," women
consistently underestimate themselves and their abilities, Sandberg writes. For
a host of reasons, women often hold themselves back by literally not sitting at
the table where decisions are made. Instead, they choose to watch from the
sidelines. She urges institutions and individuals to encourage and promote
women. And she encourages women to sit at the table and raise their hands. Men
are already doing it, after all.

2. When negotiating, "Think
personally, act communally."
Preface salary negotiations by explaining that you know women often get paid
less than men, so you are going to "negotiate rather than accept the
original offer," she writes. This way, women can position themselves as
connected to a group. Whenever possible, she adds, use "we" instead
of "I."

3. Don't sacrifice being liked for
being successful.
Sandberg recalls her first formal performance review with Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg a few monthsafter she started her job. He told her her desire to be
liked by everyone would hold her back. He said, "when you want to change
things, you can't please everyone." He was right, she writes.

4. Take risks.
Risk-taking is celebrated at technology companies from tiny startups to
behemoths like Facebook. Sandberg writes that in her experience, more men look
for assignments that stretch their abilities and are high-profile. More women
hang back, especially when they're working closely with men. Women, she writes,
"need to shift from thinking 'I'm not ready to do that' to thinking 'I
want to do that and I'll learn by doing it.'"

5. Make your partner a real partner.
"As women must be more empowered at work, men must be more empowered at
home," Sandberg writes. "I have seen so many women inadvertently
discourage their husbands from doing their share by being too controlling or
critical." Co-parenting? Mothers should let fathers put that diaper on the
baby, even if it's not the right way. Everyone should encourage men to
"lean in" to their families.

While some of the ideas might not be so specific to the Kenyan situation,
they still address the real reasons as to why women are held back in the
corporate world.